Sandy M’s review of Nearly a Lady by Alissa Johnson
Historical Romance published by Berkley 7 June 11
Alissa Johnson has it all as an author. Her writing is perfect for the Regency period; word choice, tone, inflection are flawless the way she strings her sentences together. Humor is something a lot of authors have difficulty with, but Ms. Johnson peppers her stories with just the right amount to make her characters fun and charming. The range of emotion those characters go through is wide and varied, and the heroine in this book, Winnefred, is pushed to her limit by Gideon. As much I love that man, just like Freddie, I cheer her on – and I’d love to join her – when she wants to whomp him up the side of the head for his stubbornness. That’s pulling your reader into your characters’ lives, and Ms. Johnson does it all very well.
We learn first thing that Gideon’s father was supposed to have been guardian to a young girl when her father unexpectedly died and asked the closest gentleman to watch over his “Freddie.” Decidedly unhappy when he learns he’s now responsible for a girl, he pushes the youngster off on his wife, who, years later, is found to have to embezzled money left and right from any and every place she can, including Winnefred and her companion, Lilly, when they were tucked away in Scotland to be kept out of the way. The current Marquess of Engsly, Gideon’s brother, is adamant about making his stepmother’s egregiousness right, thus sending Gideon as his representative to Winnefred. What Gideon finds there delights and fascinates him, especially when he realizes he’s been bested by a couple of women.
For at least a decade Winnefred and Lilly have scrimped and saved just to survive on the paltry annual income received from the Haverston family. While a lesser woman would have succumbed to the required labor and doing without, Freddie has flourished and become someone who can take care of herself and a farm. Both ladies are stunned at the news Gideon imparts, but their days of worrying are over with the back pay they will receive. Wanting more for her friend, Lilly asks for a Season in London for Winnefred, which Gideon is more than happy to oblige but Winnefred can do without. She’s happy at Murdoch House. But she also wants Lilly to be happy. Therefore, she agrees to the lessons to turn her into a lady so she won’t embarrass Lilly or Gideon with her blunt, country ways.
I really enjoyed the interactions between Gideon and Winnefred during the weeks of society lessons and travel preparations, though they are few because Gideon has vowed to keep his distance from this lovely woman. His emotionally devastating experience in the war has left him with a skewed way of looking at responsibility. But he has retained his sense of humor, and his bantering and teasing with Winnefred is so much fun. Winnefred is even amazed at herself at how comfortable she feels with Gideon during this time, and as their journey to London draws closer, she’s looking forward to the time they’ll spend together.
But things don’t go as planned for either of them. Oh, they still spend time together, allowing attraction to grow more and more; they have a wonderful time shopping and at the balls; they enjoy a kiss or a caress here and there, feel the sparks between them, but when all is said and done, when Winnefred grabs the edges of her courage and reels it in to give herself to Gideon and then to talk to him about their future, she’s in for a shock. Refusing what Gideon offers, she’d rather be back in Scotland taking care of her animals and garden, so that’s exactly what she does. Now it’s Gideon who’s in shock. Winnefred’s anger is a force to be reckoned with. But then, so is her love.
I also enjoyed the side romance with the Marquess and his long-lost Rose. After so many years apart, at no fault of their own, she still makes him work to win her, and he goes at it full bore. I actually would have liked a little more time with them, but what we get is nice.
Ms. Johnson always carries me away when reading her books. I lose track of time I’m so lost in the story. I enjoy myself immensely, laughing and sighing and ranting when needed. I love the tender hand that guides me through the lives of characters who I come to care for immediately. And I savor the feeling I’m left with when read the last page – warm, happy, satisfied, and already imagining what might be coming in the next book.
Grade: A
Summary:
The woman makes the man…
Winnefred Blythe learned at a young age to make do with very little. After the death of her father, she taught herself to live on a pauper’s allowance—until a charming visitor promises her the funds that had been stolen from her through the years. But Freddie isn’t comfortable with the trappings of money—or the attentions of a stranger from London…
But can a man make a lady?
After the war, Lord Gideon Haverston resolved to never again burden himself with the troubles of others. Still, he was expecting to be greeted as a hero by the tough young woman his stepmother cheated out of house and home, not suspected as a conspirator. Indeed, the situation is more complicated than Gideon had expected—and the task of taming Winnefred Blythe, much more alluring…
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
An Unexpected Gentleman – December 2011
